I'm Home
by MrMsMingus
Summary: Short One-Shot. Set After 414. Joan coming home to face Arthur. "You put your arms around me and I'm home." - Christina Perri


It was almost midnight when Joan walked through the front door, exhausted and emotionally spent.

Every light in the house was out.

Arthur hadn't waited up for her.

She walked into the dark bedroom and slipped out of her heels.

Surveying the emptiness she considered walking across the hall to see if he was asleep in the guestroom. Clenching her eyes shut she decided against it and dropped her keys and purse onto the dresser before heading to the closet.

She pulled on sweats and one of Arthurs Navy t-shirts.

It used to hang loose on her like an over sized-dress, but her massive belly now made the material almost tight against her skin.

Emerging from the closet she saw him there, barefoot in plaid flannel pajama pants leaning against the bedroom door frame. Arms crossed, face to the floor.

Joan leaned against the bedroom wall eyeing him sadly. She saw his wrinkled forehead from the days of strategizing and the months of worrying, bags under his eyes from the nights spent mourning his son.

"Where have you been?" addressing her without looking at her.

In a half whisper she responded, "New York."

"New York?", he finally looked at her, "What were you doing in New York?"

Joan sighed, "Following a lead."

He looked at her with narrow eyes, "Why didn't you send Helen?"

Looking away she rubbed her swollen belly, "Arthur, Helen's dead. Henry killed her."

"When?"

"Last night."

Arthur shook his head, "Damn...does Auggie know?"

Joan nodded solemnly, "Yes, Braithwaite has Calder investigating her death."

Taking a deep breath he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before re-crossing his arms and giving Joan a questioning glance, "So you went into the field today? In your condition?"

"Arthur what else was I going to do. We have no one left we can trust. The op gave us actionable intel."

"Actionable how?"

"Henry has been using stolen CIA money. We found his courier, how he has been moving it. So I called Calder who agreed to assemble a team to take Henry down. But Henry had already fled the country."

"Where is he?"

"Hong Kong" She reached her left hand to rub her sore back. It had been a long day and her body was screaming at her for the strain she had put on it.

Arthur nodded and looked back at the floor, "I know you're tired. Let's just finish this in the morning." He turned to head back to the guestroom but stopped and met her eyes, "Goodnight Joan." He watched her puppy dog eyes squint as she forced a smile, "Night Arthur."

Arthur sat on the edge of the bed. Elbows on his knees, forehead in his hands. _Hong Kong. We're never going to catch him. He will be un-touchable. The trial and the baby next month..."_ He sighed and shook his head. He couldn't go there. Swinging his legs up onto the bed he leaned against the headboard.

That's when he saw her. Standing in the doorway watching him. Eyes full of sadness and compassion. Hands resting on her belly. "Joan?"

She bit her lip and took slow steps toward him.

As she got closer he could see tears glistening in her eyes.

He watched her gingerly climb into bed next to him and turn onto her side facing away from him.

Arthur just stared at her for a moment. Laying there curled in a ball around her belly.

Slipping under the covers he reached to turn off the lamp and scooted his body so it was flesh against hers.

He slipped one hand under her and one over her, cradling the baby in her swollen stomach and pulling her close to him.

After a moment he felt her relax against him.

"Annie is alive" her voice was barely a whisper as it broke the silence.

He picked his head up off the pillow and looked at her profile, "What?"

Her eyes were closed as she spoke, "She faked her death and has been tracking Henry. We were following the same lead in New York."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes." She whispered as she started trailing off into sleep.

He relaxed his head back against the pillow and pulled her even closer to him and for the first time in months the heaviness in his heart lifted, allowing hope to penetrate it.

_Maybe Henry will be taken down after all._


End file.
